THE SEARCH FOR GERTRUDE TOMPKINS' P-51 IS ON AGAIN

While gathering information for the Marie Michell story, I asked Pat Macha for status on the effort to recover Gertrude's P-51. He said, "The search on Santa Monica Bay did resume recently, but poor visibility ended that effort.
We hope that late this month or early July will have improving sea conditions for us to continue."
Gertrude was missing
for four days before anyone really noticed. Pat added that this effort is only to confirm the crash site. There will be no attempt to recover the plane.

Pat went on to say, "We would like to document the other ... WASP crash sites here in California." Two sites are "situated on, or near, operational airports and that presents a problem.
Nonetheless we are going to give it a shot. " The crash sites Pat referred to are for
Virginia Moffatt, 43-2, on October 5, 1943, near Ontario,
Dorothy Scott, WAFS, on December 3, 1943, near Palm Springs, and Marion Toevs, 43-8, on February
18, 1944, near San Jose.

WASP NOVEL RECEIVES WILLA LITERARY AWARD

Sarah Byrn Rickman is the author of THE ORIGINALS: The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron of World War II.

Sarah has been named a finalist in the WILLA Literary Awards
(named for Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Willa Cather) --
Original Softcover category -- for her WASP novel FLIGHT FROM FEAR.
The award is given by the professional writing organization Women Writing the West for books about women set in the West. FLIGHT FROM FEAR is set in the heroine's native Colorado and, of course, Avenger Field in Texas.
Refer to the press release for more information.

A VIEW FROM THE DOGHOUSE
OF THE 319th AAFWFTD

The following was provided by Celeste Graves, the author of A VIEW FROM THE DOGHOUSE OF THE 319th AAFWFTD and one of the women who supported the WASP training program in Houston.

Celeste has been working for years on her book about the WASP training program that started in Houston, Texas, in November, 1942. The first three WASP classes did most of their training in Houston. The forth class was split between Houston and Sweetwater. Her book will be available soon.

THE SWEETWATER MOVIE MAKING PROGRESS

The following was provided by Deborah Hernandez, Producer Sweetwater Productions LLC.

The Cameron Diaz WASP movie is not our Sweetwater movie, and has nothing to do with it. Our project is moving along very well. We are finishing up some of the last details so that we can start pre production soon.

WASPS ATTEND BOOK RELEASE PARTY

Madge Leon Moore, 44-4, in the back on the far right, and Dorothy A. Lucas, 44-7, in the back fourth from the left, were present for Cindy's book release party on November 2, 2003, in Georgetown, Texas. Madge, Dorothy, and 9 others written about in the book, were there to help Cindy celebrate the release of her first book. Also present at the party was a B-25.